


A Shadow of Virtue

by EsseR3xinaLives



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant (until the next chapter these character appear in), Post Volume 5 Chapter 8, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 18:30:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12989979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EsseR3xinaLives/pseuds/EsseR3xinaLives
Summary: Blake reaches out to Ilia one last time before going to save her parents.





	A Shadow of Virtue

**Author's Note:**

> So... Yeah, I totally had to do something for the Blake/Ilia pairing after THAT episode. I don't know what the ship name is (though rainbow kitten sounds cool [unless that's Blake and Neon, then maybe camo kitten would work]). Anyways, if anyone reading this also reads Aftermath of Autumn, I promise I haven't forgotten about it and do plan on continuing it, though I do like the idea of adding some minor references from Volume 5 to that fic despite it's divergence. I also gotta say, I'm really liking this Volume thus far. Sure I have my critiques about the dialogue and other things but, meh, you'll probably here more of my rants at the end of this work. Oh, and finally, I do not have a RoosterTeeth subscription, so if this was already resolved or something else cool happens in any chapters that aren't on Youtube PLEASE DON'T TELL ME! I don't want any fantastically spoiled surprises! Anyways, please enjoy the read! Kudos and Comments are very appreciated!

“I knew you’d find a way to get here.”

The two faunus came to a screeching halt as the shadow cast figure faded back into color as the second skin was shed.  The familiar sight of the woman in a horned grim mask turned to face the duo.

“You have got to be kidding me!”

“Sun!  Get to my parents, now!”

The blonde turned to the cat faunus in confusion at the command.

“Wuh- but Blake!”

“She’s mine…”

The statement came in a low growl, as Gambol Shroud became unsheathed.  Sun turned back to their obstacle who had also readied her weapon as a mix of concern and understanding settled on his face.

“Got it.”

He began charging forward as Blake followed just a few steps behind when Ilia lashed out at Sun with her whip.  The monkey faunus rolled to the side dodging the attack as Blake threw her weapon in chain scythe mode at the brunette.

The chameleon faunus pivoted out of the way of the attack, which ended up creating more distance between her and the side of the alley that Sun was making his escape through, granting Sun an opening.  The brunette bared her teeth and turned to lash her whip at the monkey faunus again, only to have the attack blocked by Gambol Shroud.

Ilia pushed her weapon against her assailant’s, causing Blake to back up a few steps down the alley that Sun had now disappeared down, the cat faunus now blocking her path to intercept the blonde before he reached his destination. Amber orbs pierced daggers at her former friend as Gambol Shroud’s blade pointed threateningly at the chameleon faunus.

“Are you going to try going through me?”

“It’s not going to matter!”  The masked figure snarled.  “Yuma went ahead to ensure the disposal of your family!  Your friend won’t get there in time to stop it!”

“Is that so?”  Blake questioned, still keeping her blade pointed at her target and eyes narrowed.  “You said so yourself.  Adam’s in Mistral, and the White Fang never left any skilled combatants in Menagerie since they always saved their best combatants for fighting humans.  I haven’t been here long enough for boat travel to any of the other kingdoms to have been utilized to send more warriors to capture me and Sun will be able to handle any fighters your have on the island.  Oh, and I wouldn’t underestimate my parents either,” the cat faunus added, almost as a side note.  “They were the ones who lead the faunus during the war after all.”

“And I wouldn’t underestimate the White Fang if I were you.”  Ilia responded.  “Our allies have given us better training, better equipment, and greater recruitment because of the victory we achieved at Beacon.”

“And how many of those recruits died at Beacon?!”  The cat faunus shouted, a grimace marring her features.  “How many died in Vale?!  Do you even know who your 'allies' _are_?!”  A shiver went through the brunette that did not go unnoticed by Blake as she pressed on, noticing her friend’s skin burn brighter throughout her interrogation.  “Do you know they had our people working as thugs for some common criminal in the city?!  Did you even _hear_ about the train-wreck in Vale?!  The faunus that died helping Roman Torchwick in a mad mission to lead Grimm into the city?!  Is this really what the White Fang is coming to?!”

“We. All. Have. To make. _S_ _acrifices_!!!”  Ilia snarled, punctuating each word through gritted teeth, as she lunged at the cat faunus and swung her whip.  Blake summoned a shadow clone as she rolled to her right, the whip went wide of the decoy.  The brunette rushed to close the gap and aimed a high kick at the cat faunus that Blake managed to block with her right arm before bringing Gambol Shroud down on the chameleon faunus which was blocked by the whip.

The two weapons began sparking as each of the faunus pressed their blades further into the others until Ilia broke the stalemate.  She pushed Blake away, causing the cat faunus to stumble back and aimed a kick to her side.

Only, her foot past right through the shadow as the real Blake leapt over head and threw her chain scythe weapon at the chameleon faunus’ supporting leg, causing the woman to fall over and drop her weapon.  The ninja pulled her quarry towards her as the captured brunette tried futiley to claw away from her captor and reclaim her weapon.  When the tugging on her leg stopped she spun over to prop herself on her elbows only to stare down the barrel of Gambol Shroud's pistol form and the resolute amber gaze of her former friend.

“Tell me something, Blake” the downed faunus said, focusing her hardened gaze on the fierce amber beyond the gun point.  “Was it worth it?  Being the little faunus girl going to the city of your dreams?  Did you feel like a princess?  You certainly seemed to find a new Prince Charming to dote after you.”

Amber eyes softened in response to the words as her gun lowered just slighlty.  “Ilia…”  Her voice was soft and pained which Blake was certain showed on her face, even as she clenched her eyes and turned away from her captive.  Gambol Shroud trembling in her hand when she tried to face her former friend again.  “It doesn’t have to be this way-”

“BUT IT DOES!!!!!”  The chameleon faunus cried, propping herself fully, despite putting herself in closer proximity to Gambol Shroud’s barrel.  “We’ve tried reasoning with the humans, and that got us nowhere!  If violence is the only way to get anyone to listen, then it’s what we have to use!”

“Is that so?”  Blake asked in a tone feigning ignorance.  “Then tell me.  If violence is the answer to everything then why aren’t you fighting me?”

“My orders were to bring you alive-”

“Yeah!  And you could probably capture me alive if you bothered to use your weapon!”

The brunette turned her face away as her fingers clutched the ground and the spots that freckled her complexion veered between red and blue while the cat faunus continued her argument.

“Your attack didn't even hit the shadow clone I left to 'dodge' your attack.  If this was really you, you wouldn't be avoiding hurting me!  You would've attacked Sun when he was down, or attacked me directly when I got your scroll!  You would have attacked me the night before the press conference-”

“AND I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE BEFORE IT WAS TOO LATE!!!”

The shout was followed by a flash of red and gritted teeth before Ilia’s features softened and a blue color settled on her skin, unshed tears threatening to escape grey eyes.

Blake brought her weapon to hr side as her gaze softened.  “Do you know why I clung to Adam as desperately as I did?”

Ilia turned back to her assailant as her glaring eyes turned a faint shade of red.  “Is this just to spite me?”

Blake sighed deeply as she lowered herself to be eye-level with her captive.  “I am the daughter of Ghira Belladonna.  Hero of the Faunus War and founder of the White Fang.”

Amber orbs had shifted to the side as Ilia’s glare lessened in intensity.  “It was easy being part of the White Fang.  I simply had to walk in my father’s shadow, and I was somehow helping the entire Faunus race.  And that worked well enough, until later.  When father stepped down… I didn’t know what to do… but Adam did…”

The cat faunus turned her gaze to the sky as she relived one of her many moments of regret.  “I thought my father was the embodiment of peace, but he faltered.  Uncertain as to whether it would be better for the faunus if he remained their leader, or step down and let Sienna Kahn take over.  The only thing he was certain of was if Sienna took control he would leave the White Fang for good.”

Amber eyes locked onto gray as Blake continued her story.  “All of a sudden, my father didn’t embody peace.  Instead he was complacency.  The indifferent acceptance of human discrimination against our entire race.  And Adam was justice.  The desire to return to the faunus all that was taken from them and showing the humans the error of their ways, even if force was necessary.”

Ilia had leaned forward and crossed her legs to give the speaker her full attention.  She knew it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but she didn’t care.

This could possibly be the last conversation she’d ever have with Blake.

“It was so easy.  I could just step into Adam’s shadow, followed his lead for justice since my father’s shadow was so undesirable.”

“And that’s why you stayed with the White Fang when your father stepped down?”

Blake sighed, dropping her gaze before slowly raising it to bring her eyes level to Ilia's again.  “The thing is… I was more in love with what I believed Adam embodied.  Justice was all I wanted from this world, and he was it.  So, I clung to him.  Hoping that, if I could do well enough in his good graces, I could come to embody justice too.  But the violence became more intense.  And the more violent the White Fang became, the more I clung to Adam.  Because he would always embody justice.  And if I lost my belief in him being justice, then I knew I would irreparably lose myself.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The even voice caused Blake’s cat ears to flatten slightly as she began to chew on her lip.  “Do you know what I believe I embody?”

Ilia shifted slightly in uncertainty as her features softened and amber eyes found her own before giving a shrug to signal Blake to answer.  “I’m dependence.  Although that’s not quite the word I’d use for me.  I’m more a parasite than simple dependence.  I have no dreams or drive of my own, so I walk in the shadows of those who represent the virtues I wish I could embody.  I simply find someone else to latch onto and try to take their identity as my own.”

Ilia turned her gaze to the side before posing her next question.  “So why did you leave?”

A small smile ghosted Blake’s lips as she closed her eyes in remembrance.  “I stepped into your shadow for a moment.”

“What?”  The sound was breathy and almost inaudible as the faunus’ confusion decorated her visage.

Blake opened her eyes again as she locked her gaze with Ilia’s.  “Do you remember what you said to me before my last mission?  After I told you I was concerned about the White Fang?  About Adam becoming someone else?”

Ilia lowered her gaze to her lap as she could feel soft tears threatening to return in memory of that day as her voice resounded in a soft muttering.  “Sometimes the right thing to do is also the most painful.”

Blake nodded, tears beginning to form in her eyes.  “The thing is, until that moment I didn’t know what you embodied, but then it became so clear.  You were sacrifice.  You sacrificed your chance to go to a human school to fight for Faunus equality.  You always took the most dangerous missions to protect everyone else in the White Fang from coming in harm’s way, even though you hated violence.  And even now…”  Blake paused as a humorless chuckle passed through her lips.  “You completely bypass your desires and beliefs because you believe they conflict with the progress of Faunus rights.”

Blake began to wipe desperately at her eyes only to see the blurred vision of her friend turning blue at her speech.  “Ilia, leaving the White Fang was one of the most painful things I’ve ever done.  There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think of you.  Every time I put on my bow I wondered how you felt not being able to change color.  I thought about the stories you told me about the people you met at your school.  I wondered if you’d believe me if I told you the stories about the friends I made at my own school.  What would you say if I told you how Ruby slashed our curtains with her scythe when we began decorating our room because she couldn’t find the perfect place for ‘her baby’ to sleep.  Or how Weiss went on a power-hungry rant when she was informed she was two turns away from winning the Remnant War Game, only to slump back into her chair when her informant had simply tricked her into activating a trap to destroy her own army.  Or how Yang got blasted through the roof of the cafeteria when our team got mixed up in the biggest food fight of the century with Team JNPR.  I wondered if you’d believe me if I told you I got mixed up in it all.  That I used my own books to help build bunk beds so that we’d all have room for our belongings.  That, despite my arguing, I eventually relented and helped my teammates set up their board game in the library of all places, and listened to their overly dramatic battle cries that filled the room designed for silence.  I wondered if you’d believe me if I told you that I joined in on the food fight, and even got to duel a star fighter from Sanctum using stale baguette’s as weapons.”

Blake began to get up wiping away more tears as a wistful smile crossed her face in remembrance of her schooling.  “I also wondered how you’d react if I told you that all my teammates were human.  That they all knew I was a faunus.   That they learned about my involvement with the White Fang.  And that they _still loved me_ , despite everything I was and had done.”

Ilia looked so small now, hugging her legs to her chest as the tears silently streaked down her face.

“The thing is you’re right Ilia.  There are a lot of humans that hate the faunus, and a lot of other humans who stand by and watch.  But there are also humans who would fight alongside faunus, and some even willing to risk their lives to defend faunus.”  Blake averted her gaze with eyes clenched as her right hand grasped the left side of her abdomen.  “I know there’s a human who lost a lot more saving me than my life could ever be worth.”

The chameleon faunus snapped her gaze back to Blake’s as more tears spilled down her cheeks.  “The thing is, I found so many friends while I was at Beacon, human and faunus alike.  And I will do everything in my power to help them.  Just as I would like to do anything to help you.”

The cat faunus began to walk past the fallen friend who could only croak out a single word in response.  “Blake…”

“I need to go.  My parents need me.”

The cat faunus continued to stride purposefully past her friend as the young woman’s eyes followed until Blake came to a stop to look back at her.  “We’re going to need support defending Haven Academy.  It would mean the world to me if you came.”

A humorless chuckle escaped the brunette’s lips.  “You really think I would help you?”

“I really  _hope_ you would.”  Blake replied tears continuing to trickle down, causing her cheeks to glimmer in the moonlight.  “I lost Adam to this venomous mentality.  Please…”

The cat faunus paused to wipe away her eyes before her cracking voice finished her broken thought.  “Please don’t let me lose you too.”

And with that that cat faunus left.  Disappearing in the shadows of the alleys that would lead her to her family’s home.  And as the absence of her friend settled in Ilia began to turn more and more blue until the weight of the emotion crashed down on her and she began to sob.

She hated this.  She hated how unfair this all was.  She hated how uncaring the humans were towards her parents’ deaths.  Hated how she was immediately expelled for changing colors in her grief for them.  Hated how the woman she loved chose someone else, only to leave them all behind.  Hated that she now had to face the woman she loved on opposite sides of a battleground.

But what she hated that most of all was that, in this very moment, she didn’t know what to do.

_Sometimes the right thing to do is also the most painful._

When did that change?  When did Ilia begin to stop believing in there being a right thing to do?

What was this world turning her into?

Ilia turned to look towards where Blake had left.  Her weapon was still laying on the ground in perfect view.  She wiped the tears from her eyes, got up to walk over to her weapon, and picked it up.  A single thought entering her mind.

She had a choice to make.

She could either sacrifice the woman she loved, or sacrifice the future that she had devoted her life to accomplishing since the death of her parents.

_I stepped into your shadow for a moment._

CLANG!

Ilia flinched at the loud echo in her head.  It was as if Ilia had been there.  Had been the one to reach out to Blake when she decoupled the train so that Adam could return to the camp with the dust while Blake ensured the safety of the crew.  Ilia didn’t understand it then, but it seemed so much clearer now.

In that moment Blake sacrificed her love for her beliefs.

Was that the right decision here?

Ilia pulled out her mask and stared at it, half hoping that it would give some sign in its complexion as to what she should do.  She believed whole-heartedly that the White Fang would grant the faunus the freedom they deserved.  Was her faith misplaced?

_Please don’t let me lose you too._

_We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good.  No matter how much it hurts._

She clenched her eyes as her hand cracked the mask in her grip.  She couldn’t just stay there moping.  She tossed the mask to the side as she began sprinting towards the Belladonna mansion.  Whether she was going there to slay the family or save them she wasn’t sure yet.  All she was certain of was that she would have to reach a decision.

And a sacrifice would have to be made.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, so I had to add this final chance at redemption before the next chapter came out on Youtube. One critique I had about Volume 4 was Sun's character being a compulsive stalker and, though I'm glad that Sun's character hasn't made watching Blake's scenes unbearable this season, i am in shock that there was no backlash for him trying to attack Ilia when she spoke out at the Belladonna press conference. I mean, I'd assume that Menagerie has some semblance of a freedom of speech law that would allow Ilia to speak out against the Belladonnas. I have expected Sun to get arrested or the public just turning against them in general since they claim to want to find a peaceful way to resolve their conflict with the faunus, but as soon as one faunus disagrees with their ideas they fall back to violence. It would have been far better if they had mentioned the White Fang working under the thumb of a human criminal, showing that the White Fang are not adequate advocates for the faunus since they are simply acting as expendable henchmen to a common thug. I also couldn't help but laugh when Blake asks Sun if he ever thought of anyone as the embodiment of a word. I always imagine that conversation as "I actually have a word for everyone." "Really? What am I then?" "Um... hold on, I need to think on that longer." Haha. I had my issues with some of the dialoguing that episode, but I loved the idea of Blake seeing people in words, so I had to work that into this fic. But most of all, I gotta say finally, finally, FINALLY, we see some solid representation of LGBTQIA+ characters! I mean, this isn't a "if you squint really hard and tilt your head just right you might..." no, this was a deliberate statement that yes, LGBTQIA+ exists in the world of Remnant. I was honestly beginning to think it wasn't going to happen simply because everyone had their obvious straight crushes to be paired off with, but I'm so glad to see that there is at least one character that has announced an LGBTQIA+ identity! Anyways, sorry for the rant and thanks so much for reading! Feel free to drop kudos, comments, reviews and the like!


End file.
